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20 Mar 2015

Is Urea at risk of becoming the” sugar” of grass nutrition?

Remember the days when it would have seemed ludicrous to hear sugar described as poison? Yet now we understand that sugar’s use has become so endemic that it is in fact detrimentally affecting the health of many. It isn’t a poison – in fact it is very nice to consume – but it has been used so extensively that many of us are consuming way too much of it. And this happened before we realised it. When did we need sugar to be in pizza? Maybe that’s what is happening with urea. There is nothing wrong with urea per se – it is a nutrient that is required for grass growth and at some times of the year a bit extra is required to maximise that growth. But the problem is when it is used excessively – without us really knowing –the excess has to go somewhere. Too much sugar ends up around your middle, or in rotten teeth – easy to see as we look around us, watch documentaries on TV and browse those books. What is the analogy for urea?

I’m sure you have all seen this graph before, showing the use of nitrogen fertiliser bursting forth over the past three decades. Just as it’s in our personal interest to understand the link between our own diet and well-being, we need to be making sure we understand the link between our grass’s diet and productivity. Then you are in control – not having to work around the very blunt instrument of regulation.